


explode

by kasarin



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 06:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15067163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kasarin/pseuds/kasarin
Summary: When Axel was first “born,” for lack of a better word, he could immediately feel his element burning away inside of him. There was never any question as to what it was, no more than one might question whether or not they possessed a limb. But knowing what it was didn’t mean that he knew how to control it.





	explode

When Axel was first “born,” for lack of a better word, he could immediately feel his element burning away inside of him. There was never any question as to what it was, no more than one might question whether or not they possessed a limb. But knowing what it was didn’t mean that he knew how to control it.  
  
The first time he tried was underwhelming, to say the least. No matter how hard he concentrated on using the _power_ inside of him, he could create little more than sparks. It wasn’t as though he had anyone to help him with it, either. Of the eight of them, only the boss seemed to  _know_ what he was doing. The ‘founding members’ were further along in figuring it out, but Vexen still froze his beakers more often than not, and he’d seen Xigbar fall from his perch in midair more than once.  
  
However, the knowledge that he wasn’t alone in struggling with his element did nothing to make things any easier. Especially after the first time Saïx knocked Lexaeus flat on his back, only to nearly pass out from the sheer force of his own power. For everyone else, the struggle seemed to be in _restraining_ their abilities and making them bend to their command. For Axel, however? He could barely even light a candle.  
  
After one too many unsuccessful attempts to set fire to a tree, Axel heard the first of the mutterings. As the lowest of their number, he was subject to enough scrutiny as it was. But his failure to harness his abilities began turning words like “immature” and “brat” into things like “failure” and “useless.”  
  
It was Vexen who brought it up at one of the meetings. He looked between Axel and Xemnas as he spoke, his tone both snide and profoundly unimpressed. At a glance from Saïx, Axel bit his tongue and stayed silent, and he tried not to fidget under the golden-eyed stare of their Superior.  
  
“One day,” Xemnas had decided. “You have one day to prove that you are capable of utilizing your power.”  
  
And so, Axel had left. He’d gotten as far away from the others as he dared, and there he stayed, his features knotted in something akin to _pain_ as he tried to use the power inside of him.  
  
His fruitless attempts were interrupted by the arrival of Xemnas, who stepped out of the darkness like some shade of death come to collect his prize. A bright light — a _blade_  — leapt from his hand, and he swung at Axel without a hint of hesitation.  
  
Axel dodged once. Twice. Three times. He hit the dirt and rolled, just barely agile enough to avoid blows that would’ve taken off his head. But he knew perfectly well that he couldn’t keep dodging forever. And, as Xemnas summoned forth yet another blade, Axel knew that he was going to die.  
  
He was going to die _again_. And no one would remember him.  
  
His face twisted, something like rage overwhelming his expression, and he _screamed_.  
  
The air around his hands heated, sparked, then _ignited_. Two weapons formed beneath his palms, and he as he snatched them out of midair, he felt something _snap_.  
  
“I don’t need a _day!_ ”  
  
He brought his arms up, held them straight out from his sides, and everything around them burst into flame.  
  
It was an explosion of power — one that was too much for him to control. His vision abruptly went black, and when he woke again, he was on his bed with the still-unfamiliar ceiling staring down at him.  
  
Xemnas was there, watching him wake. The redhead pushed himself upright, ignored the strange weakness in his limbs, and met the golden gaze without hesitation.  
  
“Number Eight. You will be known as the Flurry of Dancing Flames,” the Superior told him. And then he turned and vanished from the room, giving the boy no time to think about it, much less respond.  
  
Once the door was safely closed, and he’d had time to run it through his mind … Axel smirked. That was a title that he could live with.  
  
That was a title that he’d make sure was _remembered_.

**Author's Note:**

> Old piece, originally written in July 2011.


End file.
